Doha: As many as 11 major hotels in Qatar will switch off all non-essential lights to mark Earth Hour on March 23.
Grand Hyatt, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and Inter-Continental Doha will be among the many hotels that will go partly dark from 8.30pm until 9.30pm.
Ooredoo will also switch off lights and non-essential systems at both its tower in West Bay and Airport HQ. This is the fifth consecutive year Qatar will be a part of Earth Hour, the largest global voluntary action on climate change. Ooredoo was the first company in Qatar to publicly commit to Earth Hour in 2009, taking part in the world’s largest mass participation event to demonstrate its commitment to protecting the planet.
Many other corporations are expected to join in soon, Ghazanfarulla Khan, coordinator of Earth Hour in Qatar told The Peninsula. “Almost all the major hotels are participating this year and I’m expecting other organisations to confirm their participation soon,” Khan said.
While Ritz Carlton will switch off lights of its main chandelier, W Hotel will organise candle light dinner for its guests.
The Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF), Pearl- Qatar and Tornado Tower are also set to mark Earth Hour. “Many organisations are not looking at Earth Hour as just another event. They see it as an opportunity to create more awareness about saving electricity, which is an important issue here,” Khan said.
Earth Hour is organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) every year, encouraging households, businesses and schools to turn off lights for sixty minutes with an aim to share the opportunities and challenges of creating a sustainable world. Katara and Qatar University (QU) are also expected to increase public awareness about conserving energy by organising a series of events.
Many companies are encouraging their employees and people in general to show support for the planet by switching off lights at home. The Peninsula
